Am I crazy, or was this previously a thing?

like others, I would just say just make them all holy rails. But if someone has no plans for every doing LR32, the holes may just be annoying to them (crud catchers).  Clearly there is a cost, you have to run it thru one more machine, and there may also be a scrap rate with that. When they sell them for the same price as heathen rails, either Festool is loosing money, or accounting wise the heathen rails are subsidizing the holy rails to some level.

Time could also be a factor. It takes some time to make those hole.  Doing some rails, it is some time, but doing all of them would add a lot of time to manufacturing of product, and probably mean adding more machinery to offset this.  The extruding and cutting to length would be quick, but any machine doing those holes is going to take time, probably much more than anything else in making the rails.  Would just lead to a manufacturing constraint in getting rails out the door. Having a low percentage of rails being holy, where people making them just have to toss a rail in the puncher while they do their other task, not so bad, but soon as it's all the rails, then it would be a bottle neck.

Festool selling them for the same price just hides what would be obvious that they clearly don't cost the same to make.
 
DeformedTree said:
Festool selling them for the same price just hides what would be obvious that they clearly don't cost the same to make.
Click to expand...
Correct. In Europe, the holy ones are about €20/€40 more expensive for a 1400/2424 respectively.

But I still believe that the LR32 should be a baseline. Worldwide.

If someone (new user) is annoyed by the holes, he can still augment his first holy one with a non-holy when he adds it for ripping and he can then use it for cross-cuts instead of his first holy. But it would STILL provide for a head-scratcher ref. the holes => very likely up-sell to LR32 even for people who have zero idea it exists or what it is for otherwise => very likely direct up-sell to OF1010 etc. etc.

Case in point being myself.
I had ZERO idea of LR32 existence, hence purchased my TSC with the rail. Only to find it was a mistake and adding an holy one to it on-last-minute by chance as saw it on FOG actually.

Had I not caught the LR32 by going over forums and coming around FOG at the time - just a day later would make a difference as I have changed a standing order ... I would not have gone LR32 most likely as the investment of the basic set + rail would have been too hard to justify even if I learned of the LR32 system by that point.
I still do regret getting a 2700 (now cut) instead of a 2424 holy though.

Now, since I believe one ideally needs three 1400 rails as a baseline to cut to pieces, I will have use for my non-holy eventually as will just add the third a holy. But I am no model example. Normal people do not hang out on FOG ... ;)
 
my comment against them wasn't that I think there is a case against so much as trying to come up with any possibly functional reason against, and obviously, that's hard to do. There will always be someone who objects to something.

I have a mixed collection, since there are just the 2, and MFT come with heathens, and same for a the really long rails.  To where you are going, if someone bought a tracksaw, it comes with holes, they are going to go "hrm, what are these for", and look into it.
 
It would probably also help sell more LR32's.  Its not a cheap system to get into and if you already had the track it would take some of the bite out of getting the LR32 for many.  Im sure it would push some over the edge if they were thinking about it if they already had a compatible track.  Plus the simplicity of fewer sku's for the manufacturer and the retailer etc. would help offset any additional manufacturing time. 
 
afish said:
I had read here that some dealers did it but dont ever remember anyone saying which dealers.
Click to expand...

I know two dealers who participated here on a regular basis who did this, but they moved on. Bob Marino retired as a dealer, and Tom Bellamare sadly went on to the great beyond.

DeformedTree said:
but any machine doing those holes is going to take time, probably much more than anything else in making the rails.
Click to expand...

Clever manufacturing mantra would dictate that you have a machine with 42 drill heads that drills all the holes in one go. So no, that doesn't take much time.

I couldn't care less about the holes. I have one FS1400 rail for my TS55, and I think it is fine like it is.
 
I would simply try calling one of the well known dealers and ask, I don't think you'll find the option on the website.

FWIW, I was able to swap a 75" rail for a 118" rail when I bought a TS75/CT26 combo in person at the Tool Nut in 2016.
 
cpw said:
I would simply try calling one of the well known dealers and ask, I don't think you'll find the option on the website.

FWIW, I was able to swap a 75" rail for a 118" rail when I bought a TS75/CT26 combo in person at the Tool Nut in 2016.
Click to expand...

Totally fair point about picking up the phone.  Mostly I started this thread because I thought I remembered seeing it as an option on a website recently, but my browsing history is so long and convoluted that it would take me forever to dig it back out and find it to see if I remembered correctly.  I know that the policies have changed significantly over the last 5 years, too.

I think that I did finally come across a site that allowed for a pairing of a CT or MFT with the saw via dropdown selection, but at full price.

Also, I must admit, "heathen rail" brought a smile to my face once I picked up on what DT was doing. :)
 
I believe that's it!  I think ShopFestool has a similar drop-down for adding items, but they're only adding CTs and MFTs.

I'm very likely losing my mind as far as remembering the ability to create discounted packages via that method.
 
squall_line said:
...
I'm very likely losing my mind as far as remembering the ability to create discounted packages via that method.
Click to expand...

That used to exist for the tool and vacuum packages.  I remember seeing it on the Festool Products (aka ToolNut) website.  They probably removed this feature/option when Festool stopped offering the package pricing.

As to the guide rail choices with package pricing, Bob Marino might have done those on his website.  I sort of remember seeing this somewhere when looking for a HK55 a few years ago. I’ve slept since then too, so maybe this isn’t accurate.
 
Holey 3000 sounds like the title to an un-made Roger Corman/David Carradine film.

---"What about the holes? the holes!"
 
afish said:
It would probably also help sell more LR32's.  Its not a cheap system to get into and if you already had the track it would take some of the bite out of getting the LR32 for many.  Im sure it would push some over the edge if they were thinking about it if they already had a compatible track.  Plus the simplicity of fewer sku's for the manufacturer and the retailer etc. would help offset any additional manufacturing time.
Click to expand...
Yes, my thoughts exactly.
 
Crazyraceguy said:
afish said:
It would probably also help sell more LR32's.  Its not a cheap system to get into and if you already had the track it would take some of the bite out of getting the LR32 for many.  Im sure it would push some over the edge if they were thinking about it if they already had a compatible track.  Plus the simplicity of fewer sku's for the manufacturer and the retailer etc. would help offset any additional manufacturing time.
Click to expand...
Yes, my thoughts exactly.
Click to expand...

  Whenever a customer either buys the TS55 kit with the rail or buys the 1400mm rail seperately, I always offer the LR32 rail as an option. The price is the same, the rail is the same and the only difference is the holes....perhaps for carrying weight, the LR32 has a slight advantage. Absolutely no difference to Festool....
 
Coen said:
Let them start by making a holey 3000. Standard or not...meh.
Click to expand...

In the FWIW department, Festool offers a 2424mm or 96" holey rail but it is like $365 in the US. You would be better served to buy two LR32 1400mm rails at $290 and connect them together for a 2800mm total length if you really wanted to do 96" cabinets for shelf pins, drawer slides and hinge plates. And, yes, the LR32 kit allows you to accurately connect two rails for continuous coverage up to 8 ft.
 
jcrowe1950 said:
Coen said:
Let them start by making a holey 3000. Standard or not...meh.
Click to expand...

In the FWIW department, Festool offers a 2424mm or 96" holey rail but it is like $365 in the US. You would be better served to buy two LR32 1400mm rails at $290 and connect them together for a 2800mm total length if you really wanted to do 96" cabinets for shelf pins, drawer slides and hinge plates. And, yes, the LR32 kit allows you to accurately connect two rails for continuous coverage up to 8 ft.
Click to expand...

2424 is too short for me, making cabinets from floor to ceiling. I wouldn't be able to clamp a 2424 (except with the Gecko).

Yes, I bought two holey 1400's, but I really wanted a holey 3000.
 
Watch, Festool brings out an additional LR32 kit, it's the kit you attach to your router to then attach to a heathen rail and proceed to drill holes into the rail, turning it into a holey rail.  [tongue]
 
DeformedTree said:
Watch, Festool brings out an additional LR32 kit, it's the kit you attach to your router to then attach to a heathen rail and proceed to drill holes into the rail, turning it into a holey rail.  [tongue]
Click to expand...

Hmmm. I think that's more something for any of the 3rd party manufacturers. Like the MFT hole jigs around.
 
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